Loin garment for absorbent pads



April 29, 1969 H. J. RALPH LOIN GARMENT FOR ABSORBENT PADS Filed March 21, 1966 uvvavroe HAROLD .1. RALPH 'nrromvey United States Patent 3,441,024 LOIN GARMENT FOR ABSORBENT PADS Harold J. Ralph, 2808 W. th St, Santa Ana, Calif. 92703 Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 535,785 Int. Cl. A61f 5/44, 5/48 US. Cl. 128287 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to loin garments for absorbent pads and more particularly relates to such' garments in which elongated slots are provided in replaceable absorbent pads which are freely held under fins or flaps around the peripheral edge of a flexible moisture-impervious sheet holder or cover, with suitable belt support means which may be attached to opposite side edges of the holder to support it about the waist of the wearer.

In a general way, this application has a relation to my previously filed co-pending application, Ser. No. 452,056, filed Apr. 30, 1965.

The garment is especially adapted for the control and convenience of use with persons, such as children, who are generall referred to as bed-wetters.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a loin garment having a moisture-impervious holder for receiving an absorbent pad assembly therein.

A further object is to provide such a loin garment having a plurality of superposed absorbent pads held therein wherein the underlying pads are absorbent, and having an overlying pad which is pervious, but resists absorption.

Another object is to provide in such a garment a plurality of superposed elongated pads which are longitudinally slotted in an area where, in normal use, a preponderance of fluid would be present.

A further object is to provide a moisture-impervious holder for absorbent pads which is convenient and eflicient in adjustment on the body of the wearer, and provides means for holding absorbent pads therein, insuring against discharge of liquid from the holder.

A further object is to provide an assembly of superposed absorbent pads in which a portion of said pads are slotted to provide a sump in an area where liquid discharge would be most copious in uncontrolled urinal discharge.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will be more apparent from the specification herein, a preferred .form for exemplification of the invention is described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective elevational view of the garment of the invention with belt straps positioned in the form in which the garment is worn.

FIG. 2 is a perspective planar view of the garment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective planar view of an outer cover sheet backing member.

FIG. 4 is a planar perspective view of one form of absorbent pad member.

FIG. 5 is a planar perspective view of a slotted form of pad member.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective fragmentary view of a portion of a corner of back sheet cover or holder member and overlying fins or flaps, with a fragmentary portion of pad assembly therein.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section on line 77 of FIG. 2, showing detail of the overlying pad construction within the back sheet cover of the holder.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views, 10 indicates generally the garment of the invention. The garment 10 comprises an elongated enclosing cover 11 which may be divided into its functional parts which comprise an elongated back sheet 12, relatively wider laterally at one end portion and the side edges of which converge toward a narrower opposite end portion, thus being generally wedge-shaped in planar form, and having a longitudinal central portion wherein the elongated side edges converge sharply toward each other as at 13, which may be defined as the crotch portion. The opposite longitudinal elongated side edges of the back sheet 12 each has imperviously connected thereto one elongated edge of a relatively narrow fin or flap 14 which, other than said connected edge, freely overlies the back sheet 12 and preferably extends from end to end of said back sheet 12, said fins or flaps having at each opposite end an outward taper 15 by which the free edge of the fin converges into the side edge of the back sheet. Any suitable reinforcing strips 12b may be attached to and extend transversely across the back sheet 12 preferably at the reverse face from the fins 14.

The cover 11 and the fins 14 are of flexible moistureimpervious material which may consist of any suitable flexible sheet polyvinyl synthetic plastic. The junction or connections between the connected edges of the fins or flaps 14 to the side edges of the back sheet may be mois ture-impervious plastic welds or sewed seams 16, or both, and a suitable edge binding 19 may be provided in a similar manner at all exposed edges of the plastic sheet material.

Each of the lateral transverse portions of the opposite ends of the flexible moisture-impervious cover member 11, and including the opposite end portions 15 of the fins 14 may be retroverted upon itself along line 15a at each of said opposite ends of the cover, so as to overlie the opposite respective ends of the backsheet, and thus provide leakproof pockets 17 and 18 at such opposite ends. It will be noted that the fold-over of the pockets 17 and 18 at the transversely opposite ends of the cover 11 also includes a fold-over of the tapered ends 15 of the side fins or flap members 14, and thus maintains a leakproof relation at such corners of the pockets and the cover holder 11. Suitable releasable fasteners such as small snap eyelets 20 may be provided to releasably hold the retroverted pockets in such folded pocket-forming relation.

One advantage of providing such folded-over pockets is that the entire holder or cover member 11 may be spread out flat for cleaning of soilage. As thus far described, the cover holder 11 is substantially similar to the cover holder member in said previously filed application.

Since a principal purpose of the invention is provision of a protective garment for uncontrollable urinal discharge, and especially at night time, an assembly of a plurality of suitable relatively overlying or superposed elongated pad members may be provided for removably and replaceably mounting in the cover 11, five pads being illustrated. These pads indicated generally 21 may vary in number in accordance with the need. The pads are generally wedge-shaped, wider and narrower respectively at opposite ends and more acutely converging inwardly to a central crotch portion, as in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pads are of such pheripheral shape that they may snugly fit removably overlying the back sheet 12 and having the peripheral edges thereof underlying the longitudinal side fins or flaps and in the end pockets provided by the retroverted opposite end portions 17, 18. It will be noted that because of the wedge-shaped taper the soiled pads may be dropped out of cover 11 when the end pockets 17, 18 are opened, without manual handling, by holding the narrow end uppermost.

It is preferred that the pad assembly 21 shall comprise a plurality of relatively superposed absorbent pad members and a top overlying relatively non-absorbent or non-wicking pad, the bottom-most absorbent pad next facing the back cover sheet, indicated 22, being continuously planar throughout its area, and the superposed absorbent pads 23, as well as the top non-wicking, relatively non-absorbent overlying pad 25, each having an elongated longitudinal slot opening 24 therethrough at the central portion thereof in the area which, in normal use, would be ad jacent the urinal discharge at the crotch portion. The slots 24 are in overlying register. As an example, in a pad sixteen inches in length, a slot substantially six inches by one inch is operatively efficient. The top overlying or upper pad. 25 of this pad assembly may be termed a liquid backstop member because it is of a porous reticulated, flexible fabric which resists moisture absorption, but is permeable by the free flowing liquid or water moisture. Such material may be polypropylene fiber which will freely permit flow of liquid therethrough, but is non-wicking in character.

In the use of the pad mounted about the loin of a person, the urinal discharge especially of the involuntary night discharge during sleep, is usually a rapid flow which is too fast for complete surface absorption into the normal woven fibers of any single pad. Provision of the elongated overlying slot openings 24 in the superposed pads in the immediate zone of the discharge permits the liquid to How into a sump and spread itself out between the several layers of the pad and thereby be absorbed very rapidly. But, since the top layer pad 25 is non-absorbent and nonwicking, it does not become saturated by the absorption like the other absorbent layers, and any liquid in the top non-absorbent pad is gradually absorbed into the absorbent layers therebelow. Since the top layer is nonwicking, it acts as a backstop or moisture baffle between the wetted absorbent layers of the pad and skin of the person wearing the garment, whereby the wetness of the pad is kept away from the skin of the wearer, avoiding irritation and discomfort, while the moisture impervious outer cover of the pad with its leakproof fins protects the bed or wearing garment from the moisture, since the impervious fins or flaps 14 maintain the wetted pad and any free liquid against free-flow outside of the garment.

A suitable means is provided for securing the garment about the loin and waist of a wearer, and preferably consists of belt wings 27, secured to and extending from each of the opposite side edges of the holder 11, which may conveniently be at the infolded ends 17 and 18 and normally would be at the waist of a wearer. These belt wings 27 are made of suflicient length to encircle the waist of any normal person who would wear the garment and may be releasably connectible at the free ends thereof by any suitable buckle or adjustable gripping means such as a releasable pressure-locking material generally known as Velcro, indicated 28.

In operation, which as a practical matter is the wearing of the garment, the pad assembly 21 is mounted in the holder with peripheral edges beneath the fins 14 and ends in the pockets 17 and 1 8. In wearing, narrowed portion 13 of the garment is positioned within the crotch of the wearer with each of the opposite ends of the pads drawn up toward the waist line. Such placement positions the garment about the waist and loin of the wearer with the lower end pocket 18 underlying the belt members at the front of the abdomen of the wearer, and manifestly the belt may be releasably secured about the waist.

Suspender means may be employed to more securely hold the front portion of the garment in its proper position when the garment is being worn, such as a pair of relatively short elastic suspenders 29, each having one end thereof fixed to the opposite edges of cover 11 adjacent to the upper edge of the belt wings 27, and having the opposite ends of the respective suspenders releasably connectible to the edge of the lower end portion of the garment, by snap buttons 30. This positioning of the elastic suspenders causes them to lie in the valley between the thigh and abdomen and exert an outward and upward pull on the lower or narrower part of the garment and pulls the crotch portion into proper and comfortable position. These suspenders 29 may be adjustable in length by buckles 31.

The pad of a plurality of layers has in contemplation that the garment is especially adapted for use under conditions of bed-wetting in sleep, in which the flow of urine is involuntary and usually in a flush flow of a considerable quantity. The location of the slot 24 in the non-wicking top layer and in the underlying absorbent layers will facilitate the passing of the liquid through the non-wicking top layer and the absorption by the underlying slotted absorbent layers 23 and the unslotted absorbent bottom layer 22. Since all of the pad layers have peripheral edges underlying the fins 14 and the end pockets 17, 18, which are impervious to leakage from the pad, a sufficient absorbent pad area is provided, which together with the top reticulated pad 25 of non-wicking material as a baffle against return of free-flowing moisture, will provide a composite pad of great absorptive efiiciency and comfort to the user.

The manner of binding the edges of the pads at the slot 24 is essentially the same as disclosed in my copending application above referred to, that is, each of the pad layers is of two thicknesses of material bound together at outer peripheral edges in any suitable manner. At the edges of the slot 24, the adjacent edges of the material are infolded and stitched together as best shown at slot 24 in FIG. 7, which may be accomplished by sewing overlying opposed edges at the slot as a first operation, and then reversely turning the layers of the pad so that the firstsewed edges are turned inward around the slots at 32 and the peripheral edges of the pad may be suitably sewed thereafter by an overlock stitch.

As an incident to employing a plurality of relatively thin overlying absorbent pads, the laundering and drying of the pads is greatly facilitated as compared with a single thick absorbent pad, and in addition the pads are more efficient in their absorptive facility. Referring particularly to FIG. 7, it will be noted that the stitched infolded edges 33 at the slot 24 provide four thicknesses of material at the infolded edge of each pad, whereas at the outer edge 34 of the pad there are only two thicknesses of layers of material to each pad. This causes an appearance in the drawing of FIG. 7 indicating substantial voids between the layers of the several pads, which in reality do not exist. The opposed faces of the pads are in superficial contact, but the pads being soft woven mesh material are merely more compacted by the sewing at the inturned edges 33 and more fluffy at the outer edges 34. The voids between the layers provide space for receiving a flush flow of fluid until it is absorbed in the pads. In reality the aggregrate of the pads 21 are substantially of the same thickness at the slot 24 as at the outer edges 34. It is to be understood that all of the pads in the pad assembly are soft, flexible material. The character of the non-wicking pad 25 has been previously described. The absorbent pads 22, 23 preferably are of launderable cotton cloth, but may also be of soft flexible fabricated fiber known as a disposable type of diaper material.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new and patentable is:

1. A loin garment for holding an assembly of absorbent pads, an elongated cover member comprising a flexible moisture-impervious back sheet and flaps connected to and inwardly overlying peripheral edge portions of said back sheet, said cover having a wider end and a narrower end and convegring side edges therebetween, said back sheet and flaps being retrovertible at opposite ends of said cover to provide end pockets, belt means secured to the wider end portion of said cover member adapted to encircle the waist of a wearer, said pad assembly including a plurality of relatively superposed pad members overlying said back sheet and having the peripheral edge portions of said pads underlying said flaps and retroverted opposite end portions of said cover, said assembly having an upper exposed overlying first pad member of permeable non-wicking material, and a plurality of pads of asborbent material underlying said first pad member, said first pad and at least a portion of said absorbent underlying pads having an elongated slot therethrough generally longitudinally and centrally thereof adjacent a crotch portion of the pad.

2. A loin garment according to claim 1 wherein said belt means includes an elastic Suspender means having one end connected to the wider of said end portions of said cover and adapted for extending between the said wider and narrower portions when the garment is being worn, and means for releasably securing the opposite end portion of said suspender means to the opposite narrower end portion of said garment.

3. A loin garment according to claim 1 wherein said first pad member is of a freely permeable flexible body of relatively non-wicking material, and said elongated slots are in substantial registry at the crotch portion of said pad assembly and cover member to provide a liquid retaining sump.

4. A loin garment according to claim 1 wherein said pad members are generally wedge-shaped being wider and narrower respectively at opopsite ends and converging inwardly to a central crotch portion.

5. A pad assembly for a loin garment according to claim 4 wherein the edges of each of said pad members are infolded and interconnected at said slot.

6. A pad assembly for a loin garment according to claim 5 wherein the inner edges of each of said pad members at said slot are infolded and interconnected, and the outer edges of each of said pad members are interconnected.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 219,820 9/1879 Kohl 128287 1,188,908 6 /1916 Dehne 128-287 1,740,973 12/1929 Dietz 128287 2,468,445 4/1949 Hurst 128287 2,575,165 11/1951 Donovan 128-287 2,632,443 3/1953 Lesher 128296 2,853,073 9/1958 Brafman 128284 2,893,393 7/1959 Pressley 128287 3,150,664 9/1964 Noel 128287 3,180,335 4/1965 Duncan et al. 128287 3,216,421 11/1965 Devaud 128--284 CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Primary Examiner. 

